It seems DeVotchKa always takes the high road. Instead of overindulging in the type of restrained escalation that made ‘How It Ends’ the shining moment of their Little Miss Sunshine opus, DeVotchKa soaks A Mad and Faithful Telling in the flavors of Mexico and Eastern Europe, they of the Zach Condon and Gogol Bordello variety, just as they have done on their five previous albums. Between the agile instrumentation of a mariachi band, the timing structures of a Viennese waltz, and the swinging rhythms of an oom-pah ensemble at Oktoberfest, the all-inclusive hodgepodge at times becomes overbearing. But on tracks like ‘Blessing in Disguise’ and ‘New World’, the globetrotting takes a back seat to Nick Urata’s yearning, soul-searching croon. This is where his slightly spoiled vocals suggest Morrissey fronting as the ringmaster of a Balkan circus, where DeVotchKa wears their heart on their sleeve, and make the type of music that causes epiphanies. As dramatic as it sounds, it’s the type of music where old-world romanticism meets real-world dramatics.
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